BCCI announces 'one-time benefit' for Indian players

The BCCI president N Srinivasan has announced a "one-time benefit" scheme for Indian cricketers from the proceeds of the play-off games of this year's IPL. Srinivasan made the announcement during the opening ceremony of the fifth edition of the IPL today in Chennai.

"I would like to say that from the proceeds of the play-off games of the IPL, the BCCI will give a one-time benefit to those [players] who have graced Indian cricket - international as well as those who have played domestic cricket for a long time," Srinivasan said. "Over 185 players will benefit from this. This is a small thank you to those who have done yeoman service to Indian cricket."

Srinivasan further said that the BCCI had used the money generated from the IPL for promoting the game in India. "The BCCI has made good use of the success of IPL. The BCCI has distributed funds to all associations so that infrastructure, training facilities and academies are developed so that young cricketers have ample opportunities to become good players and knock on the national selection doors."

Srinivasan's announcement was preceded by the captains of the nine IPL teams signing the Spirit of Cricket pledge. The opening ceremony featured performances by several Indian movie artistes including Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Prabhu Deva, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. Also among the performers was American star Katy Perry.

I fully agree with Mr. raman. The Opening Ceremony was a complete JOKE!! it was BORING from start to end, even the crowd present at the venue seemed to have lost interest after the first half an hour that they had to be egged on to applaud & cheer.... it was more of a circus.Yes we wud have loved to see the cricketers themselves of all teams in some part of the prog atleast. I shudder to think of how much money was pumped into that meaningless opening ceremony..... KATY PERRY indeed! does she even know that there is a game called 'cricket" played??????? KAreena Kapoor looked like she was forcing herself to smile & perform. As for Mr Bachchan.......sigh........Hope the tournament itself is better that its opening ceremony & lives up to the expectations of the billion cricket fans. May the best team win!!

UAETigers
on April 4, 2012, 12:39 GMT

BCCI being the power horse and money holder in the India should work to support and fund other sports as well.

BCCI can use it's huge infrastructure, money and power to improve the standards of other sports and they can also fund them to revive and reach new glory. This will be great if they can become sponsor of Olympic sports.

Vilander
on April 4, 2012, 11:31 GMT

Even very good news coming from this guy sounds a bit scandalous.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 10:29 GMT

I have a suggestion to make IPL more Positive.

Why can't BCCI announce a charity fund from IPL where each 4 's & 6 's can contribute to the fund. i.e., - WHEN A PLAYER HITS A SIX OR A FOUR, HE IS HELPING A LOT OF PEOPLE TO SEE THE LIGHT OF HOPE-

"THEN EACH MATCH CAN CONTRIBUTE BIG MONEY TO CHARITY, EACH PLAYER GETS MOTIVATED TO SCORE FOR CHARITY [ applicable to only those who are Gentlemen ], ULTIMATELY THE IPL GETS A NEW GOOD & MOTIVATIONAL FACE".

In effect, it can increase VIEWERSHIP and WRITE OFF A LOT OF NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE BIG MONEY LEAGUE.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 8:16 GMT

BCCI has been generous from time to time. Indian Cricketers are really lucky.

sweetspot
on April 4, 2012, 7:40 GMT

This is not some social service business, where old cricketers must be honoured in some way just for playing or "toiling" in domestic cricket. Who goes to watch these stupid domestic games? What revenue does it generate? Retired cricketers should be grateful for whatever they are getting from the IPL. Who says the older guys played for pride or for India? They too represented BCCI, not India, exactly like the present lot. They played for pride? Really? Most of them had honorary jobs too, did they not? They got paid much less than today's cricketers, but much more than they generated through the sport. Today's cricketers make a small fraction of what they generate.

The IPL is a business, and it is in the business of entertainment. It is not here to improve society like some government run TV channels. It provides something special and makes a lot of money because we love it. It has done two things - pay properly and recruit new cricket fans - that nobody did before.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 6:59 GMT

i agree with views of raman muthuswamy and us_indian. the amount shall not be a pittance and the eligible guys should be the ones who played for india only for pride and not for bankrolls like the present guys!also the money should reach beneficiaries directly and not routed thro elsewhere so that pilferage enroute is avoided in toto!

bonaku
on April 4, 2012, 6:12 GMT

I dont think it is rare nice idea. In the past they have also announced pension schemes and various benefit schemes to old players. Never the less it is good think.. But one thing that is very important is the accountability in the system. Who is going to be accountable if the money to states are miss used.

US_Indian
on April 4, 2012, 5:57 GMT

Well the idea is not a bad one but the beneficiaries should be only those older generation players who were not playing cricket from 1983 and beyond, which means only those players should benefit who gave away their every thing just for pride and the love of the game who got pittance as compared to the newer generation guys and who were not involved in any way like becoming commentators or coaches or holding any office related to cricket in india and made money or i would say sidelined by the BCCI and its cronies. At least the generation of cricketers who played during the eighties and beyond were duly rewarded and there was CBFS-Sharjah etc.
Why I am writing this is because when I read that a Great allrounder like Salim Durrani was rewarded a sum of IRS 15 lakhs and at the same time guys like Yuvraj was rewarded a sum of IRS 5 crores, that was a real bad joke and slap on the face of the old war horse. A minimum of 10 tests or 5 years and for a ranji player 5-10 years services.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 5:56 GMT

The players concerned themselves would know what they'd get is just a PITTANCE .. it is all PR-gimmicks of the Board, while billions go into thin air !!

Coming to the Opening function .. the scribes might say "Spectacular" .. "Colourful" but it is all sound & fury .. with of course, buxom-beauties displayed their wares, in tune with the T20 tradition ! For the millions of viewers & spectators it was boring .. tiresome .. damn squibb ! But a few billions were evaporated .. who're the real beneficiaries--NOT the cricket fans !!

DreamGame
on April 4, 2012, 12:58 GMT

I fully agree with Mr. raman. The Opening Ceremony was a complete JOKE!! it was BORING from start to end, even the crowd present at the venue seemed to have lost interest after the first half an hour that they had to be egged on to applaud & cheer.... it was more of a circus.Yes we wud have loved to see the cricketers themselves of all teams in some part of the prog atleast. I shudder to think of how much money was pumped into that meaningless opening ceremony..... KATY PERRY indeed! does she even know that there is a game called 'cricket" played??????? KAreena Kapoor looked like she was forcing herself to smile & perform. As for Mr Bachchan.......sigh........Hope the tournament itself is better that its opening ceremony & lives up to the expectations of the billion cricket fans. May the best team win!!

UAETigers
on April 4, 2012, 12:39 GMT

BCCI being the power horse and money holder in the India should work to support and fund other sports as well.

BCCI can use it's huge infrastructure, money and power to improve the standards of other sports and they can also fund them to revive and reach new glory. This will be great if they can become sponsor of Olympic sports.

Vilander
on April 4, 2012, 11:31 GMT

Even very good news coming from this guy sounds a bit scandalous.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 10:29 GMT

I have a suggestion to make IPL more Positive.

Why can't BCCI announce a charity fund from IPL where each 4 's & 6 's can contribute to the fund. i.e., - WHEN A PLAYER HITS A SIX OR A FOUR, HE IS HELPING A LOT OF PEOPLE TO SEE THE LIGHT OF HOPE-

"THEN EACH MATCH CAN CONTRIBUTE BIG MONEY TO CHARITY, EACH PLAYER GETS MOTIVATED TO SCORE FOR CHARITY [ applicable to only those who are Gentlemen ], ULTIMATELY THE IPL GETS A NEW GOOD & MOTIVATIONAL FACE".

In effect, it can increase VIEWERSHIP and WRITE OFF A LOT OF NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE BIG MONEY LEAGUE.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 8:16 GMT

BCCI has been generous from time to time. Indian Cricketers are really lucky.

sweetspot
on April 4, 2012, 7:40 GMT

This is not some social service business, where old cricketers must be honoured in some way just for playing or "toiling" in domestic cricket. Who goes to watch these stupid domestic games? What revenue does it generate? Retired cricketers should be grateful for whatever they are getting from the IPL. Who says the older guys played for pride or for India? They too represented BCCI, not India, exactly like the present lot. They played for pride? Really? Most of them had honorary jobs too, did they not? They got paid much less than today's cricketers, but much more than they generated through the sport. Today's cricketers make a small fraction of what they generate.

The IPL is a business, and it is in the business of entertainment. It is not here to improve society like some government run TV channels. It provides something special and makes a lot of money because we love it. It has done two things - pay properly and recruit new cricket fans - that nobody did before.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 6:59 GMT

i agree with views of raman muthuswamy and us_indian. the amount shall not be a pittance and the eligible guys should be the ones who played for india only for pride and not for bankrolls like the present guys!also the money should reach beneficiaries directly and not routed thro elsewhere so that pilferage enroute is avoided in toto!

bonaku
on April 4, 2012, 6:12 GMT

I dont think it is rare nice idea. In the past they have also announced pension schemes and various benefit schemes to old players. Never the less it is good think.. But one thing that is very important is the accountability in the system. Who is going to be accountable if the money to states are miss used.

US_Indian
on April 4, 2012, 5:57 GMT

Well the idea is not a bad one but the beneficiaries should be only those older generation players who were not playing cricket from 1983 and beyond, which means only those players should benefit who gave away their every thing just for pride and the love of the game who got pittance as compared to the newer generation guys and who were not involved in any way like becoming commentators or coaches or holding any office related to cricket in india and made money or i would say sidelined by the BCCI and its cronies. At least the generation of cricketers who played during the eighties and beyond were duly rewarded and there was CBFS-Sharjah etc.
Why I am writing this is because when I read that a Great allrounder like Salim Durrani was rewarded a sum of IRS 15 lakhs and at the same time guys like Yuvraj was rewarded a sum of IRS 5 crores, that was a real bad joke and slap on the face of the old war horse. A minimum of 10 tests or 5 years and for a ranji player 5-10 years services.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 5:56 GMT

The players concerned themselves would know what they'd get is just a PITTANCE .. it is all PR-gimmicks of the Board, while billions go into thin air !!

Coming to the Opening function .. the scribes might say "Spectacular" .. "Colourful" but it is all sound & fury .. with of course, buxom-beauties displayed their wares, in tune with the T20 tradition ! For the millions of viewers & spectators it was boring .. tiresome .. damn squibb ! But a few billions were evaporated .. who're the real beneficiaries--NOT the cricket fans !!

teju666
on April 4, 2012, 4:42 GMT

What are the odds that the biggest beneficiaries would be Dhoni & co. and not the lesser known players who toil in the anonymity of Indian domestic cricket.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 3:45 GMT

Finally BCCI is on the right track...

deepak_sholapurkar
on April 4, 2012, 3:25 GMT

Its a Good idea. Better to keep off the modern players from the list as they are already well played.
Interesting to see how BCCI has spotted these 185 players

TontonZolaMoukoko
on April 4, 2012, 2:44 GMT

A rare nice idea from the BCCI. Hopefully the main beneficiaries will be the guys who have been on the Ranji Trophy circuit a few years but who have never quite made the step up, the unsung heroes of the game. I'm not saying that the big names don't deserve anything, but I'm sure Tendulkar isn't in any great need of a small handout when it could mean a great deal to a long serving state player.

777aditya
on April 4, 2012, 2:13 GMT

excellent! this kind of a thing was missing with Lalit Modi around - good one Mr. Rajiv Shukla, keep it up!

anandkr
on April 4, 2012, 0:33 GMT

Why this is only one time? Why can't similar thing be done for every year if they are so concerned about yesteryears cricketers, especially ones who played in 70s and 80s, who earned peanuts then.

sparth
on April 3, 2012, 20:19 GMT

Good idea. This is clearly a way to further reward Rahul Dravid and to try and get him to stay on for IPL 6. Hope Jam does stay for further IPLs and plays a bit of Ranji too

SSRajan
on April 3, 2012, 20:18 GMT

Good move. A suggestion though. The playoffs every year should be like the old cricketers benefit fund series. Every year some cricketers should be identified and given the benefit.

No featured comments at the moment.

SSRajan
on April 3, 2012, 20:18 GMT

Good move. A suggestion though. The playoffs every year should be like the old cricketers benefit fund series. Every year some cricketers should be identified and given the benefit.

sparth
on April 3, 2012, 20:19 GMT

Good idea. This is clearly a way to further reward Rahul Dravid and to try and get him to stay on for IPL 6. Hope Jam does stay for further IPLs and plays a bit of Ranji too

anandkr
on April 4, 2012, 0:33 GMT

Why this is only one time? Why can't similar thing be done for every year if they are so concerned about yesteryears cricketers, especially ones who played in 70s and 80s, who earned peanuts then.

777aditya
on April 4, 2012, 2:13 GMT

excellent! this kind of a thing was missing with Lalit Modi around - good one Mr. Rajiv Shukla, keep it up!

TontonZolaMoukoko
on April 4, 2012, 2:44 GMT

A rare nice idea from the BCCI. Hopefully the main beneficiaries will be the guys who have been on the Ranji Trophy circuit a few years but who have never quite made the step up, the unsung heroes of the game. I'm not saying that the big names don't deserve anything, but I'm sure Tendulkar isn't in any great need of a small handout when it could mean a great deal to a long serving state player.

deepak_sholapurkar
on April 4, 2012, 3:25 GMT

Its a Good idea. Better to keep off the modern players from the list as they are already well played.
Interesting to see how BCCI has spotted these 185 players

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 3:45 GMT

Finally BCCI is on the right track...

teju666
on April 4, 2012, 4:42 GMT

What are the odds that the biggest beneficiaries would be Dhoni & co. and not the lesser known players who toil in the anonymity of Indian domestic cricket.

dummy4fb
on April 4, 2012, 5:56 GMT

The players concerned themselves would know what they'd get is just a PITTANCE .. it is all PR-gimmicks of the Board, while billions go into thin air !!

Coming to the Opening function .. the scribes might say "Spectacular" .. "Colourful" but it is all sound & fury .. with of course, buxom-beauties displayed their wares, in tune with the T20 tradition ! For the millions of viewers & spectators it was boring .. tiresome .. damn squibb ! But a few billions were evaporated .. who're the real beneficiaries--NOT the cricket fans !!

US_Indian
on April 4, 2012, 5:57 GMT

Well the idea is not a bad one but the beneficiaries should be only those older generation players who were not playing cricket from 1983 and beyond, which means only those players should benefit who gave away their every thing just for pride and the love of the game who got pittance as compared to the newer generation guys and who were not involved in any way like becoming commentators or coaches or holding any office related to cricket in india and made money or i would say sidelined by the BCCI and its cronies. At least the generation of cricketers who played during the eighties and beyond were duly rewarded and there was CBFS-Sharjah etc.
Why I am writing this is because when I read that a Great allrounder like Salim Durrani was rewarded a sum of IRS 15 lakhs and at the same time guys like Yuvraj was rewarded a sum of IRS 5 crores, that was a real bad joke and slap on the face of the old war horse. A minimum of 10 tests or 5 years and for a ranji player 5-10 years services.